


Of Doctors, Crushes, and First Dates

by MouseBouse



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Dates, First Meetings, Gen, M/M, Millionaire!Magnus, Pediatrician!Alec, Warnings for alcohol use and references to vomiting, pop culture references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-06-09 06:49:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6894412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MouseBouse/pseuds/MouseBouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec is a doctor. Magnus is a millionaire. Izzy lives with one and is friends with the other.<br/>Everything else just kind of settles into place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As always, a big _thank you_ to [my wonderful beta](/users/of_dreamdust). (I really have to stop calling you that, someone might think you're actually nice. :* )
> 
> My Tumblr is [here](https://mousebouse.tumblr.com) for anyone interested.

“Okay, Becca, just one more deep breath,” Alec said, moving the end of the stethoscope to the left side of the girl’s back. She tried doing as he asked, but ended up coughing harshly, tears welling up in her eyes. Her father was next to her, telling her to relax, and Alec couldn’t help but think that the one thing you _shouldn’t_ tell a six-year-old when they’re trying not to choke is to _relax_. 

When she did finally manage to catch her breath, Alec helped her get off the exam table before getting a lollipop from his desk and crouching down to hand it to her. “You did great, sweetie. I’ll give you some medicine to help with the cough and it will get better, okay?”

She squinted at him, cocking her head to the side. “What kind of medicine?”

“A syrup,” he replied. Before she could ask the question he knew she would (most children asked it), he added, “It’s not the bitter one, I promise.”

Becca smiled at that, nodding, “Okay.”

 

At 30, Alec Lightwood was considered quite young to be a successful pediatrician. But he’d worked hard for years to be where he was, and he was happy with how his life had turned out. 

He hadn’t always wanted to be a doctor, no. If you’d asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up when he was five or ten, he probably would’ve said a pilot, or an astronaut, or whatever it was that most children dreamed of. Then, during Alec’s first year of high school, Max, his younger brother, had started getting very sick. Headaches, stomachaches, cramps and temporary loss of senses became a part of the Lightwood family’s everyday life. It had only lasted for a couple of months, but even a couple of days would have been too long – Max was miserable, and so was the rest of Alec’s family. They’d gone to a dozen different specialists, and then to a dozen more, and no one was able to find the problem. Until one faithful day, a wonderful doctor named Catarina Loss waltzed into their lives in her white shoes and in less than twenty minutes with Max managed to give a diagnosis that turned out to be correct. It had been a wonderful day for the entire family, and it struck a chord in Alec, making him go back to see the doctor later on, asking about her job. 

He had only been fifteen at the time, but the conversations he had with her and her amazing way of dealing with patients stuck with him. After high school, it was mostly a blur of study-eat-sleep-repeat, through four years of college, another four of medical school, and three of residency, but now, finally, Alec was doing what he wanted – he was helping people, or, well, _children_ , who needed help.

 

“Doctor?” One of the nurses called through the closed door.

“Yes?”

She entered the room with an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but your sister called to remind you about lunch.”

“Oh, thank you,” he stopped for a second, trying to remember her name. Not knowing it probably made him an awful person, but in his defense, she’d only started working here two weeks ago. “Mary,” he finished finally.

“It’s Marie, actually,” she smiled. 

“Marie,” he corrected himself. “Thanks again.”

 

The hospital cafeteria was as pleasant as it sounded. Okay, it wasn’t _that_ horrible, but it wasn’t particularly great, either.

He spotted his sister, Isabelle, sitting on the far side of the room, and joined her after getting his meal.

“Hey, Iz.”

“ _Hola, hermano_ ,” she replied. “ _¿Cómo estás?_ ”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Is there a reason you’re dusting off your Spanish?”

“Nope,” she said, avoiding eye-contact.

“Iz?”

"Grandma and grandpa are coming to visit,” she said cautiously.

“Ugghh,” was all Alec could say to that. He loved his family, he really did. But his grandparents’ visit meant that, first, his mother would be in that everything-has-to-be-in-perfect-order mode, second, there would be a lot of talk about his and Izzy’s not-Christian lives, and third, he would once again be sent so far into the closet he’d be petting Aslan.

Years ago, when he’d come out to his parents, one of the first things his mother told him was ‘ _don’t tell_ abuela’. He _did_ tell her, though, and there were tears and screams and prayers, and after all that, his mother’s parents decided never to speak of _that_ again, instead choosing to focus on the whole our-grandson-is-a-doctor part. He did hear them ask Isabelle if her brother was _still confused_ , once. Alec got the urge to tell them that there was nothing confusing about the fact that he liked having a dick up his ass. But somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to say that to his grandparents.

Snapping back to the present, he heard Isabelle talking.

“Anyway, they’ll be here for a week, starting on Wednesday.”

“Wednesday? Next Wednesday?”

“Yeah, why?”

“This is going to sound like a cop-out, but there’s this pediatrics convention in Seattle next week.”

“You’re leaving me alone?”

“Max will be there,” he reasoned.

“Max still lives at home, he can’t exactly go against them. I’m gonna be on my own. Do you know how horrible that’s going to be?”

“You’re not going to be there all the time. Just say you’re busy at work. You’ll survive until I get back.”

Changing the subject, Isabelle asked, “Are we still on for tonight?”

“You’re coming?”

“Of course! When have I ever skipped movie night?”

He pretended to count on his fingers. “One… Two… _Three_ times in the last two months.”

“Fair enough. But I’ll be there tonight, one hundred percent.”

“Meliorn out of town again?” Alec asked. His sister’s boyfriend travelled a lot for work, although what exactly his job was, Alec had no idea.

“No, he’s at home.”

“You know I wouldn’t mind him joining our movie nights, right?”

“I know, but I want to spend quality time with my big brother."

“You’re worried I don’t approve of him,” he said, and it wasn’t a question.

I’m not, he is,” Izzy replied. “Not many people would want their little sisters to date guys with tattoos on their faces.” 

“His tattoo is of a _leaf_. It’s not really an intimidating design,” Alec shrugged. “Besides, I don’t think I should have a say in who you date.” Even if he did, he actually liked Meliorn. Well, he’d only seen him once. For three minutes. But he seemed to be a good guy. 

“Okay, then. I’ll ask him.” Looking at her watch, she added, “I should get back downstairs. I’ll see you at home?”

“I’ll get snacks on the way back. Want anything special?” 

“Ice cream.” 

“Ice cream isn’t a snack.” 

“Then ice cream with a side of chips,” Izzy said, getting up from the table. 

 

***

 

Shoulder-length black hair with blue tips, hints of make-up, and the already-mentioned leaf tattoo. Those were the first things Alec noticed when he answered the door later that night. 

“Hey, Meliorn, I’m glad you could make it,” he said, moving out of the way so the other could enter.

“Thanks for having me, Alec,” Meliorn replied, walking in. “Where’s Isabelle?” 

“Bathroom. She’ll be out in a minute,” Alec answered as they walked to the living room. 

“Is she just giving you the opportunity to give me the speech?” 

“The speech?” The meaning registered with him after a moment, “Oh, the _hurt my sister and I’ll hurt you_ speech? No, that’s not really my thing. And Izzy took kick-boxing lessons in high school, she could do it herself.” 

“I didn’t know that.” 

“Yeah, she doesn’t really advertise it. It’s like a special boss-move you only get to see when you screw up massively.” 

 

“Oooh, I chose a good one to start with!” 

“Not again, Iz!” 

“Yes, again, Alec.” 

“Again, what?” Meliorn asked, looking between the siblings who seemed to be in the middle of a stare-off. 

“She wants to watch Inside Out,” Alec explained. 

“I thought this was movie night, not cartoon night.” 

“It’s not a cartoon, it’s an animated film,” Isabelle countered. 

“That we’ve already watched four times this year,” Alec said, exasperated. Turning to Meliorn, he continued, “Izzy has a thing for Disney movies.” 

“We’ve all got our things, don’t we?” She questioned. “I had to watch Pokémon movies with you.” 

“That was fifteen years ago, you can’t use that as an excuse!” 

 

“Okay, but that doesn’t make sense. The emotions in her mother’s head are all female, the ones in her father’s are all male. Why are hers mixed?” 

“Meliorn, baby, this is a kids’ movie,” Izzy said. 

“No, he’s right. There’s no logic in that,” Alec argued. 

“It’s a _kids’_ movie. Why should there be any logic in it?” 

“Because—“ Alec groaned. “Just eat your ice cream.” 

 

“I have to admit, this wasn’t what I expected when Isabelle invited me,” Meliorn said as he and Alec were cleaning up the room after the fourth Disney movie of the night. 

“Well, you’re welcome to join us next time, it’s my turn to choose what we watch. She doesn’t particularly like gore, so I’m thinking the Saw franchise,” Alec grinned, his eyes getting that mean-older-brother-with-a-plan look. 

“Oh I definitely want to be here for that!” He laughed just as Izzy came into the room. 

Moving her eyes from one to the other, she asked, “What? What did you do?” 

“Nothing yet,” Alec replied. 

“Don’t worry, dearest. We’re just getting to know each other,” Meliorn said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. 

“I changed my mind. I don’t want you two to get along.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still convinced that 'Turning over a new leaf?' in 1x07 was a pun on Alec's part, so I had to use it here :D

Magnus Bane was rich.

Whenever he said that, people assumed he was bragging, but really, he was simply telling the truth. He, Magnus Bane, was a filthy rich man. That’s what happens when you inherit a multimillion multinational corporation from your long-lost birth parents after their untimely demise. In all honesty, what with being bounced around from one foster family to another for the first eighteen years of his life, he’d assumed that his biological family didn’t want anything to do with him. So you can imagine his surprise when he was informed a few years ago that there had been an accident which killed his parents, made him the owner of their company, and put more zeroes on his account balance than he cared to count.

One of the first things that ran through his mind then had been: He couldn’t run a company, for goodness’ sake, he was majoring in _Psychology_! But it turned out that the company didn’t need help running – the CEO’s, CFO’s, C-whatever-O’s knew what they were doing. He’d met with them (‘ _met_ ’ in that wonderful 21st century, don’t-have-to-leave-your-living-room way of a conference call), introduced himself, and asked for bi-monthly reports on the company. Yes, _bi_ -monthly. He couldn’t resist. And that had pretty much been it.

So, anyway, Magnus Bane was rich. He liked being the one to pay for lunch when he met up with friends, he donated to charities every other day, but there was one thing that his money couldn’t do, and that was kick some sense into his dearest friend.

“Lydia, your girlfriend is coming,” Magnus said, looking out the window of the café he’d been spending most of his free time in. He didn’t have a lot of free time, despite not actually having a paying job. It turned out that a degree in psychology wasn’t that, ummm, shall we say, employable. What did he do that took up all his time? He volunteered – animal shelters, nursing homes, you name it, he’d done it. 

The blonde across from him followed his line of sight, sighing as her eyes landed on a dark-haired girl coming into the café. “She’s not my girlfriend, Magnus.”

“And that is what I don’t understand,” he started, only to be cut off.

“She has a boyfriend. Not to mention I don’t even know if she’d be, you know, interested.”

“Lyd, do you have a mirror at home? What’s not to be interested in?” After a moment’s pause, he added, “And I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Now if only one of you would stop acting like this was junior high…”

Lydia shushed him as the girl approached their table.

“Hello, you two!” The newcomer said, sitting down next to her.

“Greetings, _Isabelle_ ,” Magnus replied, looking between the two girls with a small smile breaking out on his lips. Lydia shot him a deadly look.

 

“Ooh, I almost forgot,” Magnus said a while later. “Lyd, what are we doing this weekend?”

Izzy glanced at him. “What’s this weekend?”

He explained, “It’s Lydia’s birthday on Friday.”

Lydia spoke then. “I don’t know. I was thinking we could just have a quiet night at my place, order some pizza, watch some movies…”

“Okay, no way!” Isabelle replied. “My _abuela_ had a crazier birthday party than that last year, and she’s like eighty!”

“I have to agree,” Magnus said. “You’re turning thirty. Soon, you’ll need a walking chair to move around. Let’s make this your last hurrah.”

Laughing, Izzy added, “And there’s that new club close to your apartment, you know, the one with the word _demon_ blinking outside? We could go there.”

“But—“

“Nope. We’re doing it. And you can both come to my apartment before that. We could get ready together, start the party there.”

Magnus had to admit he liked Isabelle’s way of thinking.

 

***

 

“Alec?” Izzy called as she entered the apartment.

“Kitchen!” He yelled back.

She came into the room, sniffing the air. “Is that _chilli con carne_?”

“ _Sí, hermanita_. Since you can’t cook,” at her piercing glance, he corrected himself, “sorry, since you _don’t have time_ to cook, I figured I’d make you something for the next few days.”

“Are you going somewhere?” Isabelle asked, perching herself on the counter next to him (and dangerously close to the open flame on the stove).

He batted her hand away as she reached for the wooden spoon in the pot. “It’s not done! And yes, I told you about the convention in Seattle.”

“Oh, right, the one with the sexy doctors, right?”

“For the last time, Iz, Seattle Grace is a fictional place, there will be no McDreamy’s, McSteamy’s or whomever is even still alive.”

She squinted at him. “Have you been watching Grey’s Anatomy again? More importantly, why didn’t you ask me to watch with you?”

Alec ignored the questions. “The point is, I’m leaving in the morning and I’ll be back on Saturday.”

“That’s five days! Can you even get that much time off of work?” 

“It’s a work-related gathering, so I was cleared to leave. I owe a bunch of people a lot of coffees for picking up my shifts, though.”

They talked about work for a while – Alec’s newest patient was a boy who had managed to get the head of a Lego figure stuck up his nose. Why a three-year-old was even playing with the proper Legos instead of those big Duplo things was a mystery.

As they sat to eat, Isabelle remembered something.

“You said you’d be back on Saturday, right?”

Alec’s reply was muffled by the food in his mouth, but the nod of his head indicated that she was right.

“Mom called this morning. She’s making Sunday a family day, no excuses. It’s the full deal, church in the morning, having lunch together, hanging out all afternoon. She said we should plan to spend the night.”

“Maybe I could extend my trip,” Alec joked.

“Don’t you dare. I can’t survive an entire day there without you!” 

“I’m guessing bringing Meliorn is out of the question.”

“It’s too early to subject him to that. He’d probably go running for the hills before noon.”

“You mean running for the _forest_?” At her confused look, he explained, “Get it? The leaf tattoo? Leaves, trees, forest? Ooh, wait, I’ve got one. He’d _turn over a new leaf_ ,” he grinned.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying this,” she said sarcastically. After a minute, she continued, “Onto more fun topics. Lydia, you know Lydia, the blonde girl from the coffee shop down the road?”

“The one you’re into but haven’t asked out yet?”

“Shut up, I have a boyfriend,” Izzy said, and then, as an afterthought, “And I’m not into her.”

“Uh-huh, yeah, sure. Anyway, what about the wonderful Lydia?”

“Well, we’ve been hanging out for a while now.” At Alec’s knowing glance, she rolled her eyes, “Not like _that_! We’re friends!” Her brother raised his hands up in surrender, but he was smirking. “It’s her birthday this weekend, and I said we could have like a pre-party party here on Friday. I was gonna check with you, but if you won’t be here…” 

“Iz, you’re twenty-seven. You don’t have to ask for my permission.”

“It’s your apartment, too, big bro, I’m just trying to be a good roommate.”

“Don’t worry about it. Have fun. But not the kind of fun that ends with me holding your hair as you’re bent over the toilet.”

“That happened one time! And I would do the same for you if you had hair this long. Or this fabulous.” After a second, she added, “Or if you, you know, went out. Ever.”

“Izzy,” Alec warned.

“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. Besides, we need a responsible child in the family. I’m the party-goer, Max is the troublemaker. You have to be the pride of the Lightwood clan.”

“That was a very Mom thing to say,” Alec replied, frowning. “You don’t really think that, do you? You don’t think you and Max are just that?”

“Of course not, don’t be ridiculous, we’re all awesome!” She grinned and winked at him.

He returned the smile. “I’m glad. I was worried for a second, there. I don’t really have a pep talk in me right now. _And_ I have to pack.”

“Ooooh, is there someone at this convention that we’re trying to impress? If so, I can help you choose what to wear.”

There wasn’t anyone Alec particularly wanted to impress. Okay, there _was_ that one doctor he kind of had a thing with at one of these conferences, but it was almost a year ago, and he’d heard later that the guy was married, and _had been_ married during their… _socializing_ , so he got over that fairly quickly. Still, he couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to have someone else pack his stuff, so he let Isabelle do her thing as he stretched across his bed, watching her run around and pull clothes out of his wardrobe, shaking her head at the choices, or lack thereof.


	3. Chapter 3

Medical conferences were usually pretty tame events. _Usually_. Sometimes, though, they turned… _not so tame_. In cases like that, Alec mostly found himself leaving as soon as he could, which was why he returned home a day earlier than planned.

He opened the door to the apartment to be instantly greeted by loud laughter he recognized as his sister’s. He avoided the door to the living room, instead going down the hall to leave his suitcase in his room.

Finally walking into the main room, he saw Izzy on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, her back leaning against the former. Lydia was laying on her side on the couch, one of her hands propping her head up, the other holding a wine glass.

There was a guy sitting in the armchair next to them, a guy Alec didn’t know. For a second he figured it was Lydia’s boyfriend, but she didn’t really look like the type to go for a guy in leather pants and eyeliner.

“Alec!” Isabelle exclaimed when she noticed him, jumping up to give him a hug. He returned it, kissing her temple.

“Miss me that much?” He teased.

“I had to _cook_ ,” she frowned. Turning to the others, she said, “You already know Lydia. That over there is Magnus. Magnus, this is Alec.” Oh, that was Magnus! Okay, yes, Izzy has mentioned him before.

“Nice to meet you,” Magnus said.

“Likewise.” Alec looked him up and down. The red leather pants that, wow, were even tighter than originally thought, were paired with an almost-see-through black shirt. Or was that considered more of a blouse? He really needed to start paying attention to fashion, he was ruining every gay-guy stereotype ever. There were red highlights in his hair, and seriously, what was with his sister and hanging out with guys with colorful hair?

“Weren’t you supposed to come back tomorrow?” Izzy wondered, snapping him out of his probably-not-very-subtle gazing.

“Yeah, it’s a long story.”

“You wanna come with us tonight?” Not needing a reply, she said, “Never mind. We’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”

“I don’t mind, you know that. Actually… Hold on.” He ran to his room for a minute and returned with a bottle of a transparent liquid.

“Why do you have a stash of vodka?”

“Not vodka. It’s Sliv--- yeah, I’m not going to try and pronounce it. Basically, it’s Serbian plum brandy. I got it a while back, but it’s too strong for me.”

“I’ll try it,” Lydia said, getting up from the couch.

“Count me in, too,” Magnus added, following her.

“Seriously, be careful, it’s like 60% APV.”

“60?! That’s like absinthe!” Izzy commented.

“It can’t be that bad,” Magnus retorted, taking the bottle from Alec’s hand. After the first sip, he started coughing and choked out, “Yeah, that’s strong!”

“Told you. Good luck with it. And Iz?” When she turned to look at him, Alec joked, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Don’t wait up, though,” she replied.

“I’ll leave you to it. Good night, everyone,” he said, leaving the room once more.

 

***

 

Magnus woke up to a loud thumping noise. Groaning and rolling to the other side of the bed, he realized two things. One, the thumping was coming from inside his head. Two, his throat was burning like the literal fires of Hell were dancing inside it. And three… okay, so maybe he realized _three_ things. Three, he was most definitely not in his own bed.

Finally opening his eyes to look around the room, he recognized it as Lydia’s, although what he was doing in her bed was still a very interesting question. Just as he sat up, thinking of getting up and finding the blonde, she burst into the room.

“Goooood morning!” She yelled, and then stopped with a disappointed look on her face. “Oh. You’re already awake.”

Magnus, whose hands had moved to cover his ears at the sound of Lydia voice, looked at her with one of those if-looks-could-kill gazes. “Too loud,” he managed to say, collapsing back on the bed. “I’m too old for this---“

“ _Stuff_. There are children around, Magnus,” Lydia stopped him, pointing at the fish tank with two black betas swimming around. 

“Whatever. How much did I drink last night?” He asked.

“It’s not _how much_ as it is _what_. Okay, _how much_ might’ve played a tiny part, too. Half a bottle of that Serbian thing Alec gave us made you quite interesting to be around.” The way she said it made it sound like a good story. Or it would have been a good story if he could remember any of it.

“What did I do?”

“What do you remember?”

“Isabelle’s apartment.” He stopped to think for a second. “That’s all.”

“Oh, sweetie,” she cringed. Sitting down on the bed, she started her retelling of the events of the previous night. “Okay, for starters, as soon as we got to the club, you left us at the bar and went dancing. You were teaching a bunch of people how to do the samba.”

“I’ve never danced samba.”

“You did last night. You were pretty good, too. Then you joined us again half an hour later, we offered you a drink, but you didn’t want anything that wasn’t touched by Izzy’s ‘ _black-haired sex god_ ’,” Lydia said, making air quotes. 

“Oh, god.” Okay, yes, Magnus _did_ think the guy was hot, but saying that to his girlfriend probably hadn’t been a good idea.

“Then you asked her to give you advice on how to find one of your own.”

“Oh, no.” 

“She explained to you that Alec was her brother, not her boyfriend, and that he was very gay and very single.”

“Oh?” Well, that changed everything.

“And that made you so happy you tried doing a cartwheel in the middle of the club and ended up hitting your head on one of the barstools.”

“ _Oh_.”

“Yup. We decided it was your bedtime, but you refused to tell me where your keys were, and given the tightness of your pants, I didn’t actually want to know, so we brought you here.”

“Oh, thank _god_.”

“Don’t thank him just yet, that’s not all.”

“Oh, no,” Magnus said again.

“I went to the kitchen to get you some water, and by the time I got back, you were gone. Of course, I freaked out, and went out to look for you.”

Putting his hands over his face, Magnus mumbled, “I don’t want to know.”

“Too bad, I’m telling you anyway. So I go outside, and I can see you running, literally _running_ , down the street. I start running, too, and I’ve gotta say, your drunk self is really fast. Anyway, I catch up with you, and you start yelling at me how I have to take you back to Izzy’s place because you would miss your window.”

“My what?”

“My question exactly. So you start explaining how, and I’m quoting here, _gorgeous ethereal beauties such as Alexander are only ever single for a short period of time_ , so you have to catch him before he starts dating his sister again.”

“What?” Magnus vaguely remembered seeing something about _the window of opportunity_ on a TV show once. Why that had come across his mind last night wasn’t a question he had an answer to, though.

“Yeah, you weren’t making much sense. But I did manage to get you off the street and back here.”

“Please tell me that was it.”

“Oh, how I wish I could,” Lydia huffed. “This time, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight as I, once again, tried to get you some water. Unfortunately, you managed to find my phone and call Iz.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Lydia, please tell me I didn’t.”

“You most certainly did. So Izzy picks up, you woke her up, by the way, and you put her on speaker for some reason, and you say… wait, I wanna channel your exact words.” She paused for a moment, and Magnus was sure it was more for dramatic effect than actual inability to remember. His assumption proved correct when she cleared her throat, and in her best imitation of his voice, said, “ _Isabelle Lightwood. This is Magnus Bane. Would you do me the extraordinary honor of being my sister-in-law? Because I want to do things to your brother that one should never do with anyone other than their spouse._ ”

“Oh. My. God.”

“So, of course, she’s laughing her,” another pointed look at the fish, “ _butt_ off, and tells you that she will talk to Alec today and see if he’s interested in your marriage proposal. You then tell her to go wrap him up in a blanky, because he’s very precious to you, and you would do it yourself, but the mean blonde lady won’t let you leave. Then you hang up the phone, handing it over to me before moving here and falling face-first onto the bed.”

“Lydia?”

“Hmmm?”

“Two questions. First, is that all?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Second, are you joking?”

“No.”

“Please tell me you’re joking. Please tell me we actually just had a nice night out.”

“I really wish I could. Actually, no, I don’t, it was _amazing_!”

 

***

 

“You’re up early,” Alec noticed when Isabelle walked into the kitchen. He poured her a cup of coffee and handed it over before picking up his own as they moved to the living room.

“We didn’t stay out long,” she replied, sitting on the couch and propping her feet up on the coffee table. 

“How come?”

“Remember the drink you gave us? Magnus enjoyed it. So much so that we had to take him to Lydia’s place at like 1am.”

“I did warn you about it,” Alec said. 

Before Izzy could reply, her phone vibrated and she looked at it, laughing way too hard for this early in the morning. “Oh, man, I almost forgot!”

“Hmm?”

“Long story short, Magnus proposed last night.”

“I thought you had a boyfriend,” he teased.

“Not to me. Well, yes, to _me_ , but to _you_.”

“What?” 

“He called me in the middle of the night, asking to marry you because he, and this is not something I ever thought I’d tell my brother, wants to climb you like a tree,” she said, frowning as the words left her mouth.

Alec choked on his coffee, looking at her wide-eyed. 

She went on, “Anyway, now he’s apologizing to both of us for, quote, _any inconveniences he may have caused_. Unquote.”

“Tell him not to worry, no inconveniences were caused,” he told her.

“Speak for yourself, I almost threw up when he asked me what dating you was like!”

“Dating— _what_?”

“Okay, long story _long_ , apparently. Listen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The drink mentioned is Slivovitz (or _šljivovica_ , originally). It's kind of a traditional drink in Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia, and consumed in other Slavic countries as well, (along with variations made from other fruits,) and it is _really_ strong, and your throat _does_ burn like the literal fires of Hell if you're not used to it. Even if you are, actually.


	4. Chapter 4

Years ago, when Alec was nineteen, and Izzy sixteen, they had gone shopping together. It was nearing the beginning of a new school year, and Isabelle wanted to renew her wardrobe. Of course, being the wonderful brother that he was, Alec offered, God help him, he _offered_ to come with her. Seven hours and thirteen bags from thirteen different stores later, he decided that shopping with Izzy was not something to be taken lightly.

Since then, they had a deal. If he were to accompany her, she was only allowed to try on ten items, and they weren’t to stay at the mall for longer than four hours. As he didn’t really think much when buying clothes for himself – usually, he’d just make sure the size was right and buy it – those ten items became transferable, meaning that Izzy could make _him_ try on anything she wanted. It had turned out to be a great arrangement, even Alec had to admit that.

“What about this one?” Alec asked now, pulling a red shirt off the rack and raising it for Isabelle to see.

“Nice color. Maybe a bit… Wait,” she said, taking it from his hand and putting it to his chest. “Yeah, okay, go try it on. But take a smaller size.”

He looked between the shirt and his sister, “ _This_ is my size.”

“I know. Try on the smaller one. Trust me.”

 

“Okay, I’ll ask him,” Izzy said as Alec got out of the dressing room to hear her opinion on the shirt. It was a bit tight, but not uncomfortable. And, as mentioned, Alec didn’t really know much about styles or fashion trends or whatever, but this seemed to suit him. Isabelle put her phone away and looked at him. “You’re buying it. But now we have to go back for those grey jeans you tried on earlier. They would go nicely with this.”

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree,” he frowned. That meant he'd most likely have to try them on _again_.

When he changed back to his own clothes, Izzy said, “Lydia called. She and Magnus are having lunch at that Ethiopian place on 44th. She asked if we wanted to join them.”

“Are you sure they want me there? They’re _your_ friends.”

“Magnus _definitely_ wants you there,” she joked, but then noticed a strange look on Alec’s face. Well, not so much _strange_ as it was _unexpected_. “Oh my god.”

“What?”

“You like him!”

“Who?”

“Alec, you’re thirty years old, don’t act twelve. Magnus! You like him!”

“I don’t know him. Yeah, the guy’s good looking, but that doesn’t mean much.”

“Oh we are _so_ having lunch with them!”

 

***

 

“Hey, you two!” Lydia said, getting up to give Izzy a hug. She looked at Alec for a second, unsure, before giving him one, too. 

Magnus greeted them both with a wave and a smile. “Sit down, we haven’t ordered yet.”

“Actually, I have to go to the ladies’ room,” Isabelle said.

“I’ll come with you,” the blonde decided, following her.

“Twenty-eight years of life and I still don’t get that,” Magnus declared after they were gone.

“The whole going to the bathroom together thing? Thirty years here and I don’t, either,” Alec replied, sitting down next to Magnus. He could have gone for the seat on the other side of the booth, but this one attracted him for some reason. Smirking, he said, “So, Izzy told me something.”

Magnus raised the menu between them in that movie-style attempt of hiding his face. “Oh, no.”

“You really thought she and I were dating? That’s a weird kind of vibe for siblings to be giving off.”

“I don’t know, Isabelle never said she lived with her brother, and you showed up, giving her the ‘ _be a good girl_ ’ speech. And there are your looks, of course.” 

“What looks?” Alec asked.

Lowering the menu, Magnus said, “Well, she is basically a goddess incarnated, and you’re not far from it, either. Hot people usually find each other.”

“That’s a very superficial thing to say,” Alec replied. “No offense.”

“A little taken. You can’t say you’ve never noticed that. Don’t give me that ‘ _I don’t pay attention to appearance_ ’ crap.”

“Okay, maybe you have a point. But just to clear things up, I am _not_ dating my sister.”

“Good to know,” Magnus replied, winking.

Before Alec could even begin to think of a reply to that, something tapped against his leg. Looking to the side, he noticed it wasn’t some _thing_ , but some _one_.

“Doctor Alec!” The girl said, smiling widely.

“Hey, Becca,” Alec replied, recognizing his patient. She definitely looked better that the last time he'd seen her. “What are you doing here?”

“My Dad is over there,” she pointed behind herself. “He said I could say _thanks_ to you.”

“ _Thanks_ for what?”

“The medicine. It helped. And it tasted sweet!” She grinned. “So, thank you!” She said again, rising to her tiptoes to hug him before turning and running in the direction she came from.

Alec turned back to Magnus, who was staring at him wide-eyed.

“You’re… a pediatrician?” 

“Ummm, yes? Why?”

“I’m having lunch with a doctor? A medical professional?”

“You didn’t know that?”

“If I had, I would have dressed better.”

Alec checked him out openly. “I’d say you’re dressed pretty well.”

Magnus didn't say anything, just smiled in return and went back to looking at the menu.

 

After a minute, Alec spoke again, “What is taking them so long?”

“Are you sure you want to know about everything that happens in girls’ bathrooms?” Magnus asked.

“Yeah, probably not.”

“I was wondering. How come you and Isabelle live together? Don’t you have problems with sibling rivalry or something?”

“Nah, we were never those siblings that fight all the time,” he shrugged. “We even work at the same hospital. Not together, but close enough.”

“So, I’m having lunch with two doctors? Definitely underdressed,” Magnus sighed.

Alec laughed. “She’s a resident. Our brother once said how she and I will basically be doing a circle of life,” he said.

“How so?” Magnus wondered.

“Well, as you’ve recently learned, I’m a pediatrician. Her dream job would be forensic pathology.”

That startled a laugh out of Magnus. “So, you would deal with newborns and she with… new _deads_?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Alec smiled.

 

All in all, lunch went pretty well. Alec learned that Magnus really enjoyed flirting, no matter the audience, and he couldn’t say he minded. Casual touches also seemed to be quite a big part of his… _repertoire_ made it all sound like a performance. Let’s say, a part of his _personality_. Once again, Alec didn’t mind. Izzy sent him knowing smirks over the table, but since she and Lydia were sitting much closer than was necessary, it wasn’t like she really had the right to say anything. He would have to ask her about that whole arrangement later, because he was pretty sure she was still dating Meliorn.

“This was fun,” Isabelle said as they left the restaurant. “We should do it again.”

“Definitely,” Lydia agreed. “If you guys are interested, of course,” she looked at Magnus and Alec.

“I think I could be persuaded,” Magnus replied. “Although, Alexander, we should probably exchange numbers so we can make plans.”

 

***

 

“What are you smiling at?” Izzy asked, sitting down next to Alec in the hospital cafeteria the following day. Noticing the phone in his hand, she went on, “Or maybe _who_ is a better question. Magnus?”

“And then I’m the twelve-year-old, _nosy_ ,” he replied. “But yes, it’s Magnus.”

"Aaaand?" She prompted, reminding Alec why so many people claimed their younger sisters were annoying. He didn't think Izzy was. Annoying, that is. But she was sometimes too curious for her own good. And his.

"Aaaand nothing. We've been texting all day," he said, nonchalantly.

“Did you ask him out yet?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“We just had our first real conversation yesterday, Iz.”

“So? I asked Meliorn out after knowing him for an hour.”

“Yeah, but I’m not like _that_.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t date. I haven’t been in a relationship since high school. I usually, you know…” Even after years of living together and knowing everything about each other’s lives, talking about this particular subject made Alec a bit uncomfortable. This _was_ his little sister, after all.

“You usually do short-term, I know. So what’s the problem now?” Seeing his expression, she realized, “Oh. You don’t want short-term with him, do you?”

“I think there might be something there. Is that weird? I mean, I don’t know him, not really.”

“That’s why people ask each other on dates. To _get to know_ the other person.”

“Or the _third_ person?”

“Huh?”

“Are you going to tell me what the deal is with you, Lydia and Meliorn?”

“What deal? There’s no deal,” she said, very unconvincingly. He didn’t say anything, just raised an eyebrow at her. “Alec, I don’t—“

“Look, Iz, when you’re ready to talk about whatever you need to talk about, I’m here.”


	5. Chapter 5

Looking at himself in the mirror of his walk-in closet (what, he was rich, he could afford one), Magnus smiled at the image. He looked good. Again, it wasn’t bragging if it was objectively true – he looked _good_.

He’d opted for a deep purple three-piece suit with a white shirt and pink tie underneath, black shoes with a bit of a heel on his feet. His make-up tonight wasn’t as glittery as he usually liked, but there _were_ hints of eyeshadow and eyeliner there. He might be slightly overdoing it, but first impressions are important. Or, rather, impressions on a first date. 

After a full week of texting, Alec had finally asked him out. Yes, Magnus could have been to one to do the asking, but, honestly, he hadn’t been sure if he was reading the signs right. Apparently, though, he was. Otherwise they wouldn’t be having dinner in precisely 47 minutes. Not that he was nervous about it in the slightest, no, he usually did this obsessively-checking-the-time thing, totally.

The two had agreed to meet at the restaurant. Alec had been the one to choose the place, saying how it was pretty fancy, but not in that snobby way. That seemed to be explanation enough for why he wanted to go there. Okay, he may have also admitted to Magnus that he wanted their first date to be… _wooow_ or _ooooh_ , and not _eh_. (They were talking on the phone at the time so the emotions were a bit easier to convey. But you get the point.) 

Anyway. 46 minutes until their date now. 

Magnus never got nervous. Why was he nervous? Magnus was _not_ nervous. Yeah, he was. Why, though? He’d dated enough people to know how this went. They would meet with a momentary pause, unsure of how to greet the other (a handshake would be too formal, but they weren’t at the kissing stage), then they would eat delicious food and drink a bit of wine, talking about this and that, getting to know each other, then the check would arrive and Magnus would take it before Alec got a chance to, they would walk out together, and before one of them got in a cab, there would be that momentary pause again. 

Depending on how well the date went, and assuming that his and Alec’s would go amazingly, that pause would lead to their first kiss, electricity, butterflies, whatnot. And they would say good night, they would go their separate ways, and before they fell asleep that night, one of them would send the other a message saying _I had a wonderful time_ , or _I really want to go out with you again_ , or… So Magnus had no reason to be nervous. He knew how tonight would go.

 

When the time on the clock showed that there were 35 minutes left before the arranged time, Magnus left his apartment, having already called for a cab to take him to the restaurant. It was about a twenty-minute drive away, so he’d have a bit of time to compose himself when he got there. That was, of course, if Alec was one of those right-on-the-dot people, and he seemed like the type. Exiting the building, though, he noticed that it was pouring. Of course he hadn’t checked the weather. That giant wall of windows upstairs was just there for decoration, after all. Would he risk it? He could see a taxi waiting there, it might be his. But if it’s not, he’d just get wet and then what. 

Deciding on the best course of action, he ran back inside, pressing the button on the elevator (How did it manage to move already, he’d only been gone for thirty seconds?). He quickly got an umbrella (a pink one to match his tie) and got back outside, only to notice the cab that had been there was now gone. But he had time, he could get another one.

 

By the time Magnus managed to find a cab and get to the restaurant, he was 17 minutes late. Not that he was counting, again. He’d sent a text to Alec when he realized he wouldn’t be on time, apologizing and assuring him that he was on his way. Alec hadn’t replied, which was quite unusual, but Magnus assumed it was one of those things that didn’t really require a response, so he didn’t think much of it.

As he entered the restaurant, he scanned the room in search of his date. He couldn’t see him, but then again, his eyesight wasn’t the best. He reached the hostess and asked for the reservation under _Lightwood_ , and man, did it feel nice to say that. 

“You’re the first to arrive,” the lady said, showing him to his table. He was twenty minutes late and Alec wasn’t here? Well that was a bit weird. Magnus couldn’t help but think that _he_ was the one about to be ditched.

He sat down, saying he would wait with his drink order when prompted by a waiter. Alec would be here. For all Magnus knew, he’d just gotten into the same problems Magnus had encountered on his way over. Maybe the universe didn’t want them dating. (The universe would have to suck it, if Magnus had any say in the matter.)

 

Being five minutes early to a date was okay. Being on time was expected. Being three minutes late was acceptable. Being twenty minutes late (due to weather and transport issues) was slightly impolite, but could be forgiven if you let the other person know, like Magnus had.

Being fifty-goddamn-eight minutes late without so much as a text was just fucking rude. And Magnus did not like to swear. But seriously?? Couldn’t Alec not have at least had the guts to cancel if he didn’t want this? Even just a text would have been okay. But this?? 

Magnus knew how first dates usually went. This was not it!

You know how, in movies, when someone gets stood up, the wait-staff look at them pitifully? Magnus always believed that that sort of thing only happened in fiction. Now, he was experiencing it for himself. The waiter that had offered him drinks when he first came in had come by two more times before giving up, instead just giving him those _poor guy_ looks from across the room.

So, after once again debating on the best course of action, he pretended to get a phone call, talking louder than necessary so literally half the room could hear him, accepting the non-existent other side of the conversation’s apology for not making it, before leaving the restaurant.

 

***

 

Alec Lightwood was not the type of person to believe in destiny, faith, everything-is-pre-written crap. He was more of a free will supporter. 

But when you agree to go on a date with someone you genuinely like and want to spend time with, and your life decides to follow Murphy’s Law with that _whatever can go wrong, will go wrong_ policy, you have to wonder if there’s a higher power trying to tell you something.

Magnus had accepted his date invite and they were supposed to meet at the restaurant two hours ago. About two hours before that, Alec had gotten a call from the hospital as one of his colleagues was out of town and a patient of hers was experiencing some complications. So he went over, thinking that whatever the complications were, he would manage to un-complicate them in time for his date with Magnus.

The patient ended up needing emergency surgery and the pediatric surgeon had asked Alec to assist her. Later, when he exited the OR, he checked his phone to see that he was now over an hour late for dinner, and there was a message from Magnus from a while ago saying he’d be late. 

Knowing that Magnus probably thinks he ditched him, but hoping that for some reason, maybe, just maybe, he was still at the restaurant, Alec went there, sticky and sweaty and seriously in desperate need of a shower and bed. 

The hostess seemed to remember Magnus when he asked, but she said he’d left, and he hadn’t looked particularly happy. Yeah, no kidding.

Pulling his phone out, he called Magnus, but he didn’t answer. To be fair, Alec probably wouldn’t have answered if their roles were reversed. Still, he really needed to apologize. And what better way to do that than in person, right? Great, so that’s what he’ll do! Except… he wasn’t actually sure where Magnus lived. He knew the area, but not the specific building.

Okay, first things first. He needed to shower and change. He was still wearing the clothes he was in when he got the call from the hospital. A quick stop at his apartment later, (thank god he’d chosen a venue that was a five-minute walk from his place) he was freshly showered, his hair still a bit damp, and dressed in his new red, sorry, _burgundy_ shirt (see, he was working on the whole fashion thing) and grey jeans he’d recently gotten.

He’d already asked his sister to send him Magnus’s address (creeper), and she did so, but only after he explained to her why he had stood up such a great guy. Apparently, the man had already told his side of the story to Lydia, who shared it with Isabelle.

 

Was going over to someone’s house at 10pm without telling them you’d be there considered rude? Stalkerish? Weird? Probably. Was doing so when you’ve never been there before and the person living there was most likely mad at you considered crazy? Definitely.

Still, Alec walked into Magnus’s building (thanks to the lady who was just exiting so he didn’t have to ask to be buzzed up) and took the elevator up to the tenth floor. (Seriously, tenth? And that wasn’t even half the way up!) Standing in front of the door, he took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

Up to this point, Alec had only seen Magnus in person twice. Both times, the man had been dressed to impress. When he opened the door, although he was still a beautiful, _beautiful_ human, he was also obviously not expecting company. His hair was falling down to his eyes without the usual products that kept it in place, his face without any traces of make-up. He was dressed in grey sweatpants and a plain black T-shirt, dark socks standing out on the light flooring.

Magnus’s brown eyes were looking into his, searching for something before he finally said, “What are you doing here, Alec?”


	6. Chapter 6

“What are you doing here, Alec?” Magnus asked, not meaning to. Really, what he planned to do, what he probably _should_ do, was slam his front door into Alec’s face. But it was a _pretty_ face, despite the fact that Alec’s eyes had that lost puppy look and it seemed like he might cry if Magnus was too hard on him. 

“I’m sorry,” Alec said, not really answering the question. “I—I wasn’t standing you up, okay, I got called into work.”

Magnus raised his hand in the air to stop him from talking and gestured for him to wait before going into the darkness of his loft. He came back only seconds later with his phone in his hand, and soon, Alec’s cell was ringing.

Seeing Magnus’s name on the screen, Alec frowned, confused, and Magnus said, “So you _do_ still have your phone. Funny, I would have thought you’d lost it, since you couldn’t, I don’t know, let me know you wouldn’t be there?”

“I didn’t know it would take that long,” Alec replied, “and by the time I was finished at the hospital, I was already really late. I’m sorry.”

Magnus, not for the first time that night, wondered what he should do. If Alec had really had an emergency at work, then it wasn’t his fault that Magnus was left alone at the restaurant. And he didn’t seem like the lying type so he probably _had_ been at the hospital. But Magnus was nothing if not prideful, so even a justified absence wasn’t something his mind wanted to just let slide. 

He repeated his question. “Why are you here?”

Alec shrugged. “You weren’t answering your phone, and I didn’t want you to think you—that I wasn’t interested in you. Because I _am_.” Before Magnus could say anything, he glanced at his watch and added, “And I was hoping that you’d agree to join me for, I don’t know, a midnight snack? A 10pm snack, actually.” He gestured to Magnus’s outfit, “But if you’re already in home-mode, I guess I’ll go.” He went to turn around, saying a quiet, “Good night, Magnus,” before a voice stopped him.

“You don’t have to,” Magnus said before he could stop himself. “Go, that is.”

That sounded like it would be followed by ‘ _you should come in_ ,’ but since the other didn’t say anything else, Alec stayed in the middle of the hallway, feeling really out of his depth.

They were both just standing there, looking at each other, Alec silently pleading with Magnus to do something, ask him in, or send him away, but he just stood there, observing Alec. The oh-so-incredibly-awkward silence was interrupted by the _ding_ of the elevator. They both looked toward the source of the sound and saw a delivery boy with a bag from Jade Wolf, the Chinese restaurant down the street, coming their way.

“Magnus Bane?” The boy asked, looking between the two of them. Honestly, Alec showing up caused Magnus to forget he’d even ordered anything. 

“That’s me,” he replied, once again disappearing into the apartment and returning with his wallet, paying the boy and taking the food. At Alec’s look, he said, “I didn’t get to eat at a fancy venue tonight. Chinese food was the next best thing.”

“Magnus—“ Alec started, presumably wanting to apologize again, but was cut off.

“How about we have that midnight snack here?” Magnus asked. “I have enough of this for the both of us.”

 

Seriously, whoever had thought of the whole big-fancy-dinner thing as a first date idea had obviously never had proper New York take-out. 

As Alec and Magnus sat on the couch in the latter’s loft, the bag with the food on the coffee table in front of them, Alec told the full story behind him being a no-show. 

“But the boy is okay now?” Magnus inquired.

“Yeah, he should be fine. I asked the nurses to call me if anything changes.”

“I’m sorry for not answering your call earlier. I assumed you were calling with a well-thought-through lie for why you didn’t come.”

Alec shrugged. “It’s okay. I mean, if I’d been at the restaurant on time, before you sent that text about the umbrella, I probably would’ve thought you ditched me, too.”

“So what we need to take from tonight is that neither one of us will ever stand the other up on purpose?”

“Well, unless you do something to really upset me. In that case, I can’t make any promises,” Alec smiled.

“I’ll do my best not to disappoint you,” Magnus said, returning the smile.

 

See? Magnus _knew_ how first dates went. They would meet at either party’s apartment, eat take-out on the couch with a reality show said party had been watching earlier playing in the background. They would flirt a bit (okay, a _lot_ ), ending up leaning against each other in the middle of the sofa, despite having started off on the edges. 

The night would end with the one not living there, in this case, Alec, doing that ‘ _I should get going_ ’ thing, where they don’t actually want to go, and the other, Magnus, saying ‘ _you’re welcome to stay here_.’ There would be that momentary pause once more, before they clarified that that was all they meant, just staying there to sleep. Alec would agree, and they would settle back into the couch, not so much leaning anymore, but cuddling.

At one point, they would be talking about something trivial and one of them would accidentally (or so they said) glance down at the other’s lips before looking back up. They would both be silent for a moment, sharing shy smiles and leaning in. And yes, there would be electricity between their lips, there would be butterflies in their stomachs, there would be hearts skipping beats, as much as the medical professional, as Magnus called him, in Alec wanted to argue that that was most likely arrhythmia, and not a good thing.

They would, a while later, move to the bedroom, kissing some more before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

And maybe (just maybe, this part wasn’t concrete), one of them would wake up early enough the next morning to prepare breakfast and bring it to bed. Magnus _had_ told Alec that blueberry pancakes were his favorite, after all.


	7. Chapter 7

Alec moved around the kitchen carefully, slowly opening the fridge, gently closing the cupboards. He tried to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake up the man in the bedroom.

Usually, Alec didn’t spend the night after going over to someone’s place. He didn’t really date much, (not that he’d minded – he hadn’t been interested in being in a relationship with anyone in years,) and one night stands had the unwritten rule that you either left under the cover of the night, or as soon after waking up in the morning as possible. 

So, he’d never before had the opportunity do to the whole breakfast-in-bed thing. 

 

Last night, after the debacle that had been his and Magnus’s dinner date, after Magnus had asked him to come in, after he’d started worrying about possibly overstaying his welcome, after the other had assured him that he wanted him there, he’d kissed Magnus. Or maybe Magnus had kissed him. It didn’t really matter. 

What mattered was that they _had_ kissed. And it had been slow and safe, exploratory and exciting, passionate and _perfect_.

Later, they’d moved to Magnus’s bedroom, continuing their kissing and honestly, Alec hadn’t felt so intimate with someone in a long time, despite the fact that no clothes had been taken off. 

At one point, Alec had pulled away as a yawn threatened to surface, and Magnus had suggested they sleep, finding a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt for Alec. The pants had been a bit short, what with him being too tall for his own good, and the shirt slightly tight, but he’d stopped having a problem with that when he’d noticed Magnus’s eyes roaming over his body appreciatively. (It might had also led to a bit more kissing, or making out, or whatever you want to call it.)

This morning, Alec had woken up with Magnus’s head on his chest and his own head nuzzling the other’s hair. He’d managed to untangle himself from Magnus’s grasp and get out of the bed without waking him up, and he had, God forgive him, actually thought about leaving for a second. But then he’d seen Magnus lying there, peaceful, _content_ , and had realized that _leaving_ was definitely out of the question.

 

Which is what brought him here, to the kitchen, and put him in the middle of mixing pancake batter. 

That was something people did, right? Made breakfast for people they were dat— _Oh_. Was he? He wasn’t, technically. _One date_ didn’t classify as _dating_ , did it? How the hell would he know, anyway? And had last night actually been a date? It had been a failed one, promptly followed by a successful _something_.

Nonetheless, the batter was ready, there was no going back now. (It also turned out that Magnus had quite the assortment of fruits in his apartment, blueberries among them. Who was Alec to complain against blueberry pancakes?)

 

Carrying a tray with two plates of pancakes and two cups of coffee through the hallway and into the bedroom, he wondered if he should wake Magnus or wait for him to do so on his own. Personally, he really, really, _really_ hated it when people woke him up, even if there _was_ food involved. Then again, it might be because the person usually waking him up was his sister, and she did it by throwing a pillow (or less soft objects) straight into his face. 

Alec placed the tray on the dresser before moving to sit on the empty side of the bed. Magnus was still sound asleep. One of his arms was now under his head, most likely trying to make up for the lack of his Alec-shaped pillow, and bent at an angle that must have been uncomfortable.

Slowly, Alec reached out, moving away the hair that was falling over Magnus’s forehead, and leaned in to kiss his temple gently. Magnus stirred a bit and Alec moved his lips lower, kissing his cheek. Still mostly asleep, the other turned his head, presumably to reach Alec’s lips, and Alec chuckled, moving back.

“Magnus?” He called quietly.

The response was eloquent as ever. “Mmm?”

“Wake up.”

“Uh-uh.”

Putting his lips to the corner of Magnus’s mouth, Alec whispered, “I’ll kiss you if you open your eyes.”

“Kiss me first,” Magnus replied with a smile.

Alec rolled his eyes, which didn’t really serve a purpose as Magnus couldn’t see him, but did as asked.

A few seconds later, he pulled away again. “I made breakfast.” Magnus’s eyes flew open at that and Alec laughed. “So food beats sleep? And kissing?”

“No offense to your kissing skills, but yes. Food beats almost anything,” he replied, sitting up.

“Almost?” Alec questioned, getting up to bring the tray over to the bed.

“I’m quite partial to chocolate. Unfortunately, most people don’t recognize chocolate as a food group.”

“Well, there’s no chocolate here, but I hope blueberries can make up for it,” Alec said, setting the pancakes between them.

“You remembered?” Magnus asked, awed.

Honestly, given how many times Alec had read through Magnus’s texts over the last week, it would’ve been a miracle if he’d forgotten. It was ridiculous, really. He was a thirty-year-old man, and yet, he felt more smitten now than he had been with his first boyfriend when he was sixteen. 

He couldn’t very well say that to Magnus, at least not yet, so he opted for, “I pay attention to details.”

“Luckily for me,” Magnus replied coyly, hiding his smirk behind his coffee cup. 

 

The problem with Alec never having had breakfast at someone’s apartment was that he had no idea what the procedure was. Was he supposed to leave right away? Was he supposed to stick around? 

Before he could freak out too much about it, his phone started ringing and he picked it up from where he’d dropped it on the bedside table last night. 

He checked the caller ID and mumbled a ‘ _sorry_ ’ to Magnus before answering, “Hello?”

“Where are you?” Isabelle was usually a straight-to-the-point kind of person.

“At Magnus’s.”

“Oooh, I will be expecting details later, _hermano_.”

“I was expecting a brother and then you showed up, we don’t always get what we want,” he joked. “Did you need something?”

“Nah, I was just surprised when I didn’t see you here. Sorry to bother you, though.”

He snorted. “You were worried about me?”

“Of course, it’s movie night tonight, I had to know if you would show. Meliorn said you two had something good in mind.” Oh, yeah, he’d almost forgotten about the Saw plan. They were supposed to do that last week, but Meliorn had been out of town once again, so Alec had given Izzy the right to choose then, meaning the next two weeks were his. (Yes, she had, once again, wanted to watch Inside Out.)

“I’ll be there, don’t worry,” he assured her.

“Bring Magnus.” It didn’t sound like a suggestion, more like an order.

Alec glanced at Magnus who was still cradling his cup in his hands. “Maybe,” he told her. “See you later?”

“Yup. Say _hi_ to him for me,” Izzy replied before hanging up.

He went to put his phone away, but decided to send a quick text to Isabelle first. Yes, they’d just talked, but something crossed his mind. **If I bring Magnus, will you have both Meliorn and Lydia there?** She still hasn’t told him what _exactly_ was going on there, but he had a pretty good idea.

“Sorry about that,” Alec told Magnus when he was done with the text.

“No problem. Isabelle wondering where you are?”

“Yeah, she’s being a protective little sister,” he smiled fondly. “She said _hi_ , by the way.”

“Tell her _hi_ back.”

“You can tell her yourself. We have this movie night tonight if you want to join us.”

“Are you sure you want to spend two nights in a row with me?” Magnus teased. “I can be a bit of a handful.” Alec just glared at him until he said, “I’d love to join you, Alec.”

 

They stayed in bed for a while after breakfast, only taking a quick bathroom break. 

Soon, the clock showed noon, and Alec decided it was time to get home. It was his day off today, but he should probably swing by the hospital and check on the boy from yesterday.

He changed back into his clothes from the previous evening and Magnus escorted him to the door. 

“I had a really great time last night,” Alec said, and Magnus couldn’t help but smile. _That_ was how first dates were supposed to end. Suck it, universe.

“I did, too. I’ll see you tonight, then?”

“Yes. Around 8?” After Magnus confirmed, Alec leaned in to kiss him, savoring the feeling. ‘ _Tonight_ ’ was far away, after all. Pulling away, he said, “Bye, Magnus.”

“Goodbye, Alexander,” Magnus replied, brushing his lips against Alec’s once more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the final chapter is here. (Well, technically, Ch6 was supposed to be the last, but then my beta said something mean and I had an exam to study for and...)  
> I hope you'll enjoy it, and thank you all for reading! ^^ <3

“Iz, have you told Meliorn _the story_?” Alec asked, smirking.

“Oooh, this will be fun!” Izzy replied, her grin matching her brother’s.

Magnus covered his face with his hands, “No, please don’t!”

Meliorn looked at Isabelle, brow furrowed, “What story?”

“There’s no story,” Magnus said.

“Oh, there’s a story, alright,” Lydia chimed in.

“Once upon a time,” Magnus told Meliorn, “I was drunk and I said some things. There, story over.”

“How about we try this again?” Alec wondered, putting his hand over Magnus’s mouth to stop him from interrupting. “Girls?”

Lydia was the one to speak, her storyteller voice loud in the room. “It was a warm spring night in the New Kingdom of York. A young princess was looking forward to her magical birthday party. Unfortunately, her then-friend-now-also-girlfriend had an evil brother. There was a boy there that night, a friend of the girl’s. The notorious man offered the boy an enchanted drink, which he accepted, unsuspecting.”

Alec was laughing, “You make me sound like a villain! I warned him!”

“Oh, yeah, that’s like putting a three-year-old next to a hot furnace and saying ‘ _don’t touch that_.’ The kid’s obviously gonna touch it and burn their hand off!” Izzy argued. “Anyway,” she continued where Lydia was cut off, “the boy accepted the drink. He was fascinated by the wizard, his hazel eyes burned into the boy’s brown, entrancing him. Soon, the man left, but his magic had already taken hold of the boy.”

Isabelle gestured at Lydia, as if handing over the honor to tell the rest. The blonde smiled at her before going on. “The three travelled far and wide to the birthday ball, and on the way there, the girls noticed changes in the boy. He was talking about the wizard, compliments spilling from his mouth. He refused to speak of anything else all night. Later, he got ahold of a device which allowed him to communicate over large distances.”

Magnus, who had managed to get Alec’s hand off of his mouth, spoke. “Just say I took your phone, Lyd!”

“No. This is _my_ story, shut up and listen.” She turned back to Meliorn, who was still silent, a smile playing on his lips, interested to hear the ending. “Anyway, the boy used the device to reach the man’s sister.”

“Wait, hold on,” Meliorn interrupted. “Is this really a true story?”

“All the stories are true,” Izzy said. 

“Okay, sorry, go on,” he gestured to Lydia. 

“Actually, maybe Iz should finish,” the blonde replied.

“Alright.” She clears her throat. “It was late at night when she was woken from her slumber to hear the boy’s words. He, so young and inexperienced, but brave, unraveled his heart and begged her for help. He wanted to spend his life with the man, the magician who had used his most powerful spells to attract the boy. She agreed to assist him, having never seen her brother, usually cold and emotionless, feel as strongly for anyone as he did for the boy. With her help, the boy and the wizard met again.” 

She looked over at Lydia again, and together they said in perfect narrator-voices, “And they lived happily. Ever. After.”

Meliorn laughed, along with the girls, and Alec and Magnus looked at each other, both unsure. Yes, it was just a story, that’s how fairytales always ended, but still. _Happily ever after_? Was that something they should even be considering after one date? 

Yes, they were overthinking it. Definitely. 

So, to stop himself from worrying about _that_ , Alec asked, “Wait. Lydia, did you just call Izzy your girlfriend?”

The laughter stopped, the three looking between each other, until Meliorn finally said, “It’s very new.”

“So the three of you are… okay, yeah, I suspected as much,” Alec said.

“You don’t think it’s, I don’t know, weird?” His sister inquired.

“Whatever makes you happy, sis. Besides, I’ve been rooting for you and Lydia for months now.”

“Hey!” Meliorn objected just as Magnus said, “Me, too!”

Lydia, who had been quiet until that point, interjected. “You know, I’ve been told this was a _movie_ night.”

Alec grinned smugly. “You’re right! And I’ve selected the perfect movies to watch. Izzy, it’s good you have both of them here, they’ll need to cover your eyes and ears a lot.”

“No! Alec, not a horror movie!” Isabelle pleaded.

“Don’t worry, dearest, we’re here,” Meliorn said, hugging her as Alec set up the first part of the Saw franchise.

He settled back to his spot on the floor, where he and Magnus had stretched a blanket. (“Is this the one you wanted Iz to wrap me up in?” Alec had teased him then.) Their backs were leaning against the armchair, another blanket over them.

About two and a half minutes into the movie, Izzy groaned at the first sight of blood, and they all teased her about the fact that she went to medical school (and, as Lydia pointed out, had very close run-ins with blood _every month_ ) and was still freaked out by it. She reasoned that it wasn’t blood that was the problem, but the idea that this kind of thing was considered entertainment. Her plan to get them to change the movie failed, though, and she huffed, annoyed, pulling her knees up on the couch, as if protecting herself.

After that, Alec didn’t really pay much attention to the movie – he’d seen it almost as many times as Izzy had seen (and cried because of) Bambi. Instead, he was looking at Magnus, trying to memorize every single detail he could. He wasn’t sure what was going on on the screen, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to make one smile. Yet, Magnus was. And then he glanced sideways at Alec. _Busted_. 

“Enjoying the movie?” Magnus whispered, proud of himself.

“I don’t see you watching it, either,” Alec retorted.

“The view on this side is much more pleasant,” he replied simply, pressing his lips quickly to Alec’s, before leaning his head on the other’s shoulder and taking his hand underneath the blanket, twining their fingers.

Perhaps _Happily ever after_ was only a possibility, but _happily right now_ was a certainty.


End file.
